The Boy who Stole Apples
by mayuluh
Summary: When snarky, fourteen-year old Jack Frost met charming, twelve-year old Princess Elsa at the marketplace, they didn't know one was an orphaned boy from the neighboring town and the other a royal princess of the most powerful kingdom. Thrown into the world of magic, politics, and ice, how would this arctic duo conquer the sweet phasis of puberty and confused feelings? Semi-AU; JxE
1. The Boy who Stole Apples

**~The Boy Who Stole Apples~**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, setting, and stuff... I only own the plot.**

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Chapter 1: The Boy Who Stole Apples

She needed to get out.

It had been three weeks since the accident at the ballroom, but the horrible _nightmares_... they just wouldn't leave her. In the morning, midday, afternoon, or night. Whatever time she tried to go to close her eyes and take a few minutes to rest, they would pop on her head like how monsters creep up from the dark parts of the bed. The frightening image of her sister Anna, lying cold and unmoving as ice crept up her face and her hair, her parents forcing their way into the large room and crying out when they saw the little girls' state- one clutching the other for any bare signs of life. Those voices... horrible, horrible voices. _What happened? This is getting out of hand! She's as cold as ice!_

Suddenly, the twelve-year old Elsa could feel that the walls of her room were closing in on her, and her throat was constricted. She could hear her stomach churning, and she almost felt the sour bile coming up from inside her mouth. She needed to _breathe_. She could feel the uncontrollable ice spreading weakly on her hands. The gloves her father gave her a few days ago weren't exactly that strongly enchanted to stop her icy magic. Ever since the incident, she could only look at her hands, at her _powers,_ and see a _curse,_ rather than a gift. She realized that the powers she possessed were more than just mere playthings for her and her sister's. And even at how much she sounded like a selfish spoiled brat, in her mind, she was already hating herself. She didn't want these powers _anymore_. Not if it kept her locked inside her room and hurt her own sister. Not if she couldn't play with Anna and make her fear touching her.

Next thing she knew, she was out alone on the marketplace, cloak above her hair, and the cold wind breezing through that winter night. Her parents were on a late afternoon meeting, and her sister... who knows? After they met with the trolls and Elsa was transferred to a different room, she had seen her fun-loving sister less and less each day.

The place was partially chilly, but the place was crowded enough for heat to accumulate a bit. Just enough so they, the townspeople won't freeze to death. _As long as she doesn't make a scene_ , she commented to herself. A bitter chuckle slipped from her mouth.

She observed the place quietly from behind her hooded cloak. The townspeople of Arendelle were trying to sell some last minute stocks for the afternoon, some others were already closing up shop.

"Frrrrrrresh fish! Frrreeeesssshhhh fiiiish!" a seller called out loud, making her jump at surprise a few inches in the air . "No, thank you." she politely called out.

"Golden earrings? Silver necklaces? Anything for a little lady~" one man with a malicious twinkle in the eye, presented her a case of precious jewelry. But she just shook her head hurriedly before briskly walking away from said person. He held too much of a dangerous aura around him. Her parents had taught her about some _unsafe_ people who would try to lure her, especially young ones like her. And he seemed the type. Besides, Elsa knew she had seen too much jewelry at a young age, anyway.

But one stall in particular, she noticed was still selling a few apples, oranges, lemons, and some other fruits she didn't recognize. The shopkeeper was a tall sweaty obese man who wore a sagging frown on his already wrinkly face and looked more like a gorilla from where she stood. He was busy counting bills at the back of the food booth, admiring the apparent thickness of his wealthy profit for the day.

Her stomach growled. She had eaten well during lunch time, but since it was nearing twilight, her tummy had began its complaint for filling. She clasped a few coins from her pocket. "Sir," she tarted shyly, she grabbed one good-looking apple and handed her money to the scary looking owner, "One apple please." The man stopped his counting and snatched the coins from her. She muttered a gentle thank you, in which the man ignored. She figured it was best to be on her way, munching at her fruit while thinking of a different place to visit around the kingdom.

"OY KID, COME BACK HERE!" A loud, booming sound came from behind her, and for one moment, she thought she was being called back by the gorilla man- _er_ \- the shop keeper. But he wasn't looking at her. The old monkey was looking at another kid, slightly about her age group and height.

For one, he looked lanky and pale. He was wearing a brown shawl cover his shoulders reaching to his elbows, and a puffy, overused long-sleeved shirt, and fit pants that had band wrapped at the edges keeping it from slipping off. Queer, for he had _absolutely_ no shoes on, and he held a shepherd's crook at his left hand. He looked like an outlander, or someone living at edge of the kingdom at least. His hair stick out at different angles, as if he was hit by a snowball in the head one-too many times. They were dull black, she thinks. Something was off with that. She didn't have time to ponder over that thought when her gaze pointed to his eyes.

They were _blue_. And not just any blue, that pair of orbs were as blue as the frozen sea, but for some reason, they didn't look as cold. On the contrary, they held a tinge of mirth that almost made her jealous. The thought sent a weird chill up and down her spine that was hard to ignore.

"Hey, you! Stop!" The old man called out once more at the running boy, with death written all over his face. "Stop that _thief_!" When Elsa looked back at the pale lad, indeed he was holding a small sack, probably holding a few fruits from the greedy man's cart.

She stood there watching the wild goose chase. The boy would send a teasing look at the man, and look back at her with an awfully charming expression as if to impress her. He must have noticed her amusement, and continued a few rounds, even though he could've easily escaped. She giggled slightly, knowing how much she enjoyed the show, and – subconsciously- she blushed. They flipped over wooden crates, rolled over a few carts, and with the boy's flexibility and thin body, he managed to elude the large shopkeeper's grasps. Even by only a hair's breath! She inwardly breathes at the close shave.

The fat man abruptly stopped chasing him. He must have seen the playful pattern of escapades. Not wanting to irritate the man anymore than he already was, the lanky boy gave a mocking salute at the obese shopkeeper, and a quick smirk at his charming cloaked fangirl. Elsa, not even knowing who the young boy was, felt a strange warmth flushing on her face. The boy ran into the crowded street, losing the angry man off his tail. The shopkeeper kept cursing colorful words out loud, those that were heard by all, and was later reprimanded by an even crankier old lady for his rude behavior.

She 'tsk'ed disappointedly. That was a shorter 'performance' than she expected. Curiously, she went to the direction where the boy broke away. The pathway lead to the forest, not so far from the trolls' territory. She gulped nervously. For one moment, she had almost forgotten about that. The comical slapstick Elsa just watched had successfully diverted her attention from her somber memories. But now that it was coming back, she felt her heart beating anxiously.

She didn't see the young boy head that way, and that made her sigh in relief. Although, that part of the kingdom didn't really scare her- for the Royal Family were allies with the magical creatures around, of course- it did make her a bit alerted. There seemed to be a fork in the path that lead to the harbor though, and instinctively, she went to that side of the road.

Elsa hadn't been walking that far from the road when she caught a beautiful scene of the afternoon sun. It was nearing sunset. It might give her a few more minutes, before the maids in her room at the Royal castle would be calling down for her to take her dinner, realizing she was not in her quarters.

She did not find the black-haired hellion, rather she was faced with a contrastingly white-haired one. Almost as white as her platinum-blonde hair- no, maybe even whiter than that.

And he wore the same clothes, the same mirthful look and the same charming blue eyes as the thief in the marketplace.

Elsa was hiding behind a brick wall, gazing silently at the boy. From her perspective, it seems as if he was washing his hair with sea water. She saw the black residue at his nape, a clear evidence for the curious girl, reassuring her that he was the right guy. His staff was placed at his side, along with the rucksack with the stolen fruits that looked a little bruised from all the running and jumping. Now, the young princess was a bit guilty for finding the show amusing, after all, what good was it to steal some food when you can barely eat them?

"Brrrr..." said the little trickster, then ruffling his already-messy hair. "All done..."

"How'd you do that?" she whispered inquisitively. From all her studies, she hadn't encountered any particular dye or paint that could change hair color. Not even temporarily, at least. She was finding the boy, who seemed to be happily munching on some bruised apple, more and more interesting by the minute.

She wasn't prepared for what really came next.

When he held his crook up again, she noticed two things. One, the crook suddenly covered with _frost._ Little, detailed fern frosts, coming out of nowhere. They were _beautiful_. Two, when the young lad swiped and twirled his staff, she saw ice sparkling on thin air, pooping up and vanishing as rapidly as they appeared. He chuckled as he playfully waved his stick more.

He had magic, just like her!

She breathed inwardly at marvel. Was this what Anna felt like when she was watching her do ice magic? She glowed happily at the thought. No wonder Anna was so amazed, it was wonderful!

She heard the boy mutter some words to himself, "Wind, take me home!" He called out louder, enough for the princess to hear.

"Who's he talking to?" she inquired silently. There was no one else there, and after a few seconds, she saw him vanish into thin air.

Because he was _flying_ in the _sky_.

Though it was quite chunky and unpolished, he was steadily lifted up in the air, as if an invisible hand was holding him. "How is he doing that?!" Elsa cupped her mouth, aware that she had just voiced that out loud, hoping he wouldn't hear.

Nope, he heard alright. He went back down on the ground, alert and tightly clenching his wooden staff. Elsa hid behind the mossy brick wall, hoping she could just shrink away, or turn invisible at the moment. It was embarrassing to say she followed the thief out here! And besides, he might recognize her as the princess, then she'll be in real trouble.

He walked silently and slowly. "I-I know you're there." he warned, feigning a brave, courageous tone, but his voice failing him epically. "Come out."

Elsa kept silent for a while. Should she show herself?

"Come out now." he repeated, firmer that before.

Her chest tightened nervously, trying to plan a way out, an escape- like how the young boy did it earlier with the gorilla man.

"Hey," the voice came softer and inviting, "I'm not gonna bite. Come on out." She could tell from his voice that he must be smiling right now.

"A-alright." her voice came out squeaky and embarrassed though. Slowly, she came out of the shadows of the wall. Her hood was still up, so she pulled it down, her braided blonde hair . She knew there was no use in hiding her face, he had seen her earlier, after all.

"You..." his serious face lit up. "You're the girl from the market!"

"Hi..." She paused, trying to find the words to follow her greeting... What was she to say? "And you're the thief who stole those apples."

"Hey!" he pouted indignantly. He acted like a puppy cutely denying his mischievous prank. "I tried asking that _fat gorilla_ nicely, but he just gave me this scary look..." his voice died down, and he blushed, his face red with embarrassment.

Elsa giggled. "What?" the boy asked. "Nothing, it's just... I was calling him a gorilla man in my mind too." she smiled at the coincidence.

"He did look like one." he commented snarkily. He laughed out loud, no unpleasing atmosphere left between the two strangers. "Hi, what's your name?"

She though about it a little while. "Winter... Call me Winter..."

"Really?" he titled his head, puzzled at her weird name. "As in the season?" She nodded. He smiled. "I like it. Hi Winter, I'm Frost!"

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 **A/N: Hi... This is multi-chapter. Jack muse kept drilling me to write this so this is just raw data. I shall attempt writing this summer again..** **. as soon as I finish this term paper due in less than 24 hours. T.T Oh, and the title is just temporary since this story just came out of nowhere today. I might edit this later, too.**

 **Let me hear your thoughts. Questions? Suggestions? Violent reactions? PM me.**


	2. The Girl with Ice Powers

**"The Boy Who Stole Apples"**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RotG nor Frozen.**

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Chapter 2: The Girl With Ice Powers

Jack knew a fib when he hears one.

Call it intuition, call it one of those _charming_ little talents (among others) he was given in life, but in his mind, he believed that he could have been some kind of truth seer in his past life. "As in the season?" He asked in a 'you-sure-you-want-to-stick-with-that?' kind of tone. He saw the hesitance in her nod, but he let the issue go. It wasn't his right to force her name to him after all. For now.

"So Frost, eh?" Winter raised an impish eyebrow, curiously waiting for an explanation to the chosen nickname.

"Yup!" He affirmed straightforwardly. Technically, he was Jack Frost, but his caretaker- Aster- kept calling him using his last name, and it stuck all the way.

"So... you have _ice_ magic, I see." the twelve year old girl scooped for more information, slyly tucking one loose hair stand to the back of her ear. "Does anyone know about it?" He slightly froze to the spot, mentally panicking at how he was going to explain that. Aster had told him not to show off his powers to anyone yet until he had controlled it well enough. He would kill Jack if he somehow found out about him sneaking out, let alone using his powers! "Ummm... can you... ah... _not_ tell that to anyone?" he stuttered his request. "Please please please please with a cherry on top!?"

Some kind of fourteen year old he was. Frantically kneeling on the floor and begging a girl to keep a secret, that is.

She, instead, giggled at him, charmingly. "No, no!" she tried to explain. Had he misunderstood her question as a threat? "I mean, even I have..." the word was stuck on her throat. "...p... _powers_ too."

"Really?" he quickly stood up to gather whatever manly dignity he had left.

"Really..." Winters reassured with a nod.

"C-can you show me?" The young boy wasn't sure why his voice trembled for a moment. Excitement? Confusion? Impatience? His fourteen-year old mind couldn't really comprehend.

"..."

Elsa looked at her gloved hands. Ever since the accident, even at the slight mention of using her powers, she was almost positive her fingers turned ten degrees colder. But right now, she wasn't. She tugged the tips of her left glove, neatly loosening each fingertip, and taking the whole thing off. She was curious as how her magic would work right now. She looked at Frost, who seemed to be as curious as she was. She clenched and unclenched her left-hand fingers, stretching the unused muscles of said hand. Slowly, she let slow and small snow pop and vanish in her fingertips, then carefully letting them increase. The ice began to glow a little bright white, and she saw frosty flakes collecting and gathering at the base of her palm. Frost looked with childish awe written all over his face. She let the power die down, and the ice melted easily.

"And I thought I was the only one." He commented, only slightly louder than a whisper.

"Me too, but..." she darkly looked down on the floor, her face overshadowed by her blonde bangs, and her hands quickly slipped into her gloves. "I... I can't control it."

At this, Frost looked surprised. "Can't control it? What do you mean? You were great at it!" He grinned lopsidedly. "Aww man, I wished my sister could see it, that was amazing! Even I can't do that well." His over-exaggerated enthusiasm was quite contagious, even Elsa couldn't help but ease a little and smile appreciatively at him.

"Thanks." she said plainly. She took note at the mention of his sister in which he didn't thoroughly explain, seemingly eager to learn more about the said boy.

Frost settled down a little with his extraversion, and sat back at the side of the harbor, his feet dangling off the wall. He looked down at his own reflection at the deep blue sea, playfully bouncing his head. Winters seemed to have joined him, her stiffly braided hair outlining her image on the water. Both looked at each other, smiled, and giggled for no apparent reason than 'just because'.

The sunset was right in front of them. Elsa noticed bright orange light filling her vision, and she couldn't resist looking over the horizon, the warm sun rays hitting her face. It was refreshing. She hadn't seen such a beautiful late afternoon sky in weeks, ever since she had been locking herself in her room. Her heart tightened in her chest in a good way. She looked at Frost, who was looking at the afternoon sky as well, before the stars burst into the night and glitters scattered over the twilight blanket.

"You watch this every night?" the young princess asked her companion.

"Yeah. I come over here everyday to practice this." Frost twirled his staff, and icy flakes followed.

"Wh-where do you live?"

"My sister and I came from an orphanage from the next town." _'Orphanage. So he is an outlander.'_ Elsa confirmed. "But..." he looked down at the water again, his eyes filled with unknown emotion, that Winters wasn't sure if she should be worried or curious. It was silent for a moment, as if the wind had suddenly stood still at will.

"Yeah?" she encouraged him to go on.

He pulled his arms and knees to his chest, "Emma, my sister, was adopted. And the family could only take one." he curled himself tighter, "So, I kinda ran away, you know? Because, I didn't even get to say goodbye. The nuns just gave her away while I was buying some bread with the other guys from the orphanage. They knew I wouldn't like it if we got separated, but..."

Elsa was silent for a moment. She felt her heart break for a moment. She couldn't imagine being separated from her sister for so long a time like that.

"I-I ran away." he repeated as if it was to convince himself. "Away from town. To the forest. I think I fell from a pond somewhere. I finally landed here in Arendelle. Then these... these guys. Some men in a funny armor just saw me in the streets. They took me in, even though they didn't have much, they fed me and gave me a place to stay." He clutched his staff tighter. "They found out about my ice powers, and told me to keep it a secret for a while." He looked at the young girl, her face was indescribable, as if she had felt everything he had said. She saw tears stained on his pants, but didn't speak of it. She had never seen a boy cry before. His father was strict and strong, and they never had any male playmates with them.

"I..." she felt obliged to tell her own story. "I almost killed my sister." She remembered that night. How her heart almost stopped when she saw ice crept up her sister's face. How her parents ran towards the royal library to get the map. How her father's voice almost cracked, and how he pleaded for his daughter to be saved, no matter how costly it may have been. She was so scared. _So, so scared._ But, she must be strong. She told this all to Frost. After she recalled her tale, she smiled sadly, and looked at the young lad, as surprised as she had been when he was telling the story.

They sat there silent. It wasn't an awkward silence, or a sad one either. They just sat there, knowing that they had told each other some part of their lives, and soaking all the information in.

Frost wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had told a complete stranger about his life. But he wasn't worrying about it. He wasn't sure why. Maybe, just because they had powers, they felt that they understood each other? They were both kids, just trying to overcome the pain in their worlds.

"Hey, you know what this means, right?" Jack had a playful glint in his eyes. Elsa tilted her head, not knowing what he _really_ means.

"We're _winter spirits._ " he concluded.

She looked at him indignantly." _I_ am not a spirit! I'm a _girl_." she blushed. "With ice powers."

He snickered at the girlish announcement, finding the moment quite funny. "So dramatic." he commented-

- _Aaand_ received a punch at his shoulder for that.

" _Princess!_ " she heard someone from afar saying her name. " _Princess! Princess Elsa!_ " It wasn't so loud, and she was relieved to notice Frost hadn't have heard it. "I-" she quickly stood up, brushing her skirt. "I have to go!" She turned around and headed for the sound.

"Wait!" Frost grabbed her gloved hand, and she rushed around to look back, "Can I see you again?"

She felt giddy, not wanting to be found out, or caught by the royal servants with the young boy. It would cost trouble for both of them, and besides, Frost hadn't known that she was a princess, _yet_.

"I..."She looked away, thinking for a split second, before looking back at the young boy. "Yes."

Frost smiled genuinely again. "Come meet me here at the docks tomorrow! Same time!" He let go of the girl's arm and headed to the main town again. She found herself standing limply, seeing his figure vanish again, like how he had back at the market.

"Princess Elsa!" one servant, the princess recognized from her clothes, shook her out of her thoughts. "Where have you been? Are you alright? Did anyone hurt you? Your father and mother had been worried to find you missing from your room, you shouldn't leave like that..." she chattered.

"Gerda," Elsa started, smiling at the old maid, "I'm fine... Just a little shocked, at least. I was bored and felt like getting some fresh air, and..." she looked back at the docks. "I think I'll be fine from now on."

She ignored at the idle chatter, and scolding her maid was giving her, as she wondered about the boy from the market, the one with ice powers similar to hers, and the how they plan to meet again tomorrow.

She better finish her studies tonight, if she was escaping away again tomorrow.

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She looked at the window. It was a few minutes past lunchtime, and she was nervous. Elsa had just finished her homework, and skipped through the next few chapters ahead the night before. She wasn't exactly sure, why she had the urge to look past a few more chapters in her history books, or the a couple of pages (or more), in her science texts, but she did. She blamed it on Frost. She was anxious as to meeting him again.

She had been wonder, right up until it was mid-afternoon, when she had grabbed her coat and planned her route and excuse as to sneak out of the castle, that chanced meeting... that had been real, right? She hadn't imagined it or anything? Had she? She stopped her scurrying for a while, which was long enough time for the maids to catch sight of her.

"Your majesty! Princess, what are you doing here?" A younger servant, probably a new one, had been walking at the same unfamiliar corridor of the palace as she had. "Is there something you need?"

She was genuinely surprised to find someone using this hallway. It was private, and she and her sister, Anna, had found it when they were little. They used it to sneak away from their parents or servants when they were together, before. Now, the princess had found out that this was one of the escape routes that the royalties use when they were either in danger, or trying to find an escape route. The servant must have been wandering around, trying to familiarize herself with the place, and by coincidence, found out about the secret passage.

Elsa, covered in her cloak and hood, shied away for a moment. "No, there's none." she said simply. "I just... I want to go out again, to get some fresh air! Yeah. I was using this passage to get to town, I thought _nobody_ else was suppose to know about this place, _except_ the royal family. Please, don't tell anyone,, and I won't tell that you found about this _secret_ corridor. I'll be back soon!" Silence. "Yes, princess." the maid gulped. She took off, shaking her doubts away, before her chance would go by. She was a bit guilty, implying a blackmail to the newbie.

She returned to the harbor. She heard seagulls on the sunlit sky, and the shore was unexpectedly calm. She looked around, rather impatiently waiting for her friend. She was starting to doubt his existence, when she felt someone poke her cheeks. She must've turned around to rapidly, or slipped on some ice, before they bumped _pretty_ hard on the head.

"Ooof!" They simultaneously exclaimed. They rubbed their heads, laughing slightly at the funny encounter. They smiled.

" _Hey, Winter!"_

" _Hi Frost!"_

 _And that, is how the boy who stole apples, and the girl with ice powers started to meet everyday on a late wintery afternoon at the docks._

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 **A/N: Clear things up... I changed the plot summary from 'winter spirit' to 'poor orphan boy. Because the plot won't make sense if it wasn't.**

 **My friends are trying to reconvert me back to anime again this summer. And it's pretty much fruitful lately *glares at friends* . Sorry if my writing feels kinda 'japanese'-ish. Tell me if it does, so I can revise it, or edit the chapter.**

 **Still trying to edit the first chapter... So just enjoy this one first. I haven't revised this either. *sweatdrop* sorry.**

 **Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Violent reactions? Let's have a cup of tea, and PM me! (Whoa, it rhymes!)**


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